Tuning in to Channel Zero: Candle Cove

Tuning in to Channel Zero: Candle Cove

But first, a short history lesson.

In the early days of the Internet, people would often send out spam emails that claimed good or bad tidings would come depending on if people sent the email to others or not. For instance, you could have gotten an email in your inbox that read, “Send this email to 10 other people for good luck this week! But if you don’t send it to anyone, prepare for bad luck all year!” This would, in turn, prompt people to send it to others in order to avoid the dreaded “bad luck” showing up in their email. It was less about belief, however, and more about abiding by the cultural standards of emails and Internet posts like that back then. Given the rampant copying of these kinds of emails as they got around to different people’s mailboxes, people began referring to them in different ways. However, the term “copypasta” became one of the more recognizable ones, in reference to how one would have to “copy and paste” these emails into a new one before sending them off to ten people for a relaxing week of good luck.

Eventually, however, it was no longer just emails. Soon there were not only spam stories, but also posts containing funny blocks of texts that people would copy and paste to different forums and websites in order to spread them, Copypasta was no longer just about copy/pasting something into an email field; instead, it became about copy/pasting blocks of text or even stories to different places online. “Copypasta” became the term used to refer to most of these stories.

But not the term associated with all of them. Eventually, other stories began to be copy/pasted to different forums and websites, stories that told of strange occurances, often accompanied by the supernatural. Typically written by anonymous Internet users and shared across a multitude of sites, these stories would become the backbone for what is now known as “creepypasta,” copy/paste stories that leaned into the horror genre. These days “creepypasta” is used to refer to any horror story on the Internet, often posted by an anonymous user and free for others to spread online as they so choose. Due to many of the writers for these stories having grown up on the Internet, many tales told involved technology to some degree. This included anything from picture and video accompaniment with the stories to haunted video games and lost episodes of television series. Admittedly, those last two didn’t produce quality products most of the time. Except for one standout story:

Candle Cove.

The original short story, written by Kris Straub, is told through the reminiscent memories of users on the fictional “NetNostalgia Forum,” a website people go to in order to post about long-forgotten, nostalgic media they remember from the past. This particular thread is about the aforementioned Candle Cove, a puppet show about pirates for kids users of the board started to discuss. But, as their discussion of the show deepens, they start to realize there may be more to the show than they truly remembered. I can’t spoil the story here, and it’s a quick, five-minute read. I strongly encourage everyone to click here and read the story for yourself.

Due to the popularity of not only Candle Cove but the creepypasta genre in general, it was inevitable that adaptations of such work would start rolling out. The most prominent of these adaptations was Syfy’s Channel Zero, an anthology series setting out to adapt creepypasta for the small screen. The first of these to get adapted was Candle Cove. But, curiously enough, the decision was made to stretch what had been a five-minute story into six hour-long episodes. It was clear from the outset that Syfy would be doing something drastically different with the story in order to make up for that five hour and fifty-five-minute difference. And, to their credit, the show did turn out to be an interesting, almost surreal experience.

The story of Channel Zero: Candle Cove follows child psychologist Mike Painter, aptly named after a user of the website in the original story. After suffering a mental breakdown and being discharged from a psychiatric facility, Mike returns to his hometown of Iron Hill, Ohio, still suffering dreams about the television show Candle Cove and it’s possible connection to a series of child murders that happened in the 1980’s. Mike’s attempt to recover from these dreams is swiftly dashed when it becomes clear that the show—or whatever force is behind it—is beginning to stir again, causing strange and horrifying occurrences in Iron Hill, all of which coincide with Mike’s return.

Part of me is very hesitant to recommend this show to someone who feels like their experience with the original story would be ruined when watching this new take on things. This adaptation is wildly different from the original story, adding layer upon layer of lore, character development, and plot points to what had originally been a bare-bones, simple Internet tale. And, to some degree, Channel Zero: Candle Cove proves why sometimes less is more. Because while I do want to highlight the positives about the show, the additional aspects don’t come close to evoking as much of an impact as the original story did. There is more tension in the show than in the story, yes. There are characters to become attached to that are well-acted and developed, yes. The plot isn’t even that bad, although does require some suspension of disbelief and relies a little too much on cliches at times. All in all, it isn’t that bad, but going into the show expecting a direct adaptation will only lead to disappointment. Which is why I’ll be considering the show on its own merit, entirely separate from the short story it’s based on.

And, in that instance, Channel Zero: Candle Cove acts as an interesting horror story with a cast of strange characters that kept me invested the whole way through. Some of the most interesting parts of the show were not necessarily what happened in the plot, but the way everything was framed. Barring a few loud musical cues here or there to remind the audience they should be scared, the show relied less on jumpy, loud horror in order to evoke emotion from the audience. Instead, many moments of horror are moments of terror: You can see what’s there on the screen and what’s happening, no way of doing anything except looking at what’s going on. There are times where there are things in the background the character doesn’t see just yet, chances for a jump-scare if the framing was different. But instead, the show focuses on those background beings, forcing you to see them before the character can. Tension is rife in this show, and it helps that the characters play their roles well.

Everyone in Candle Cove manages to portray their characters well enough to the point where they feel human. Even the dialogue in the script is able to work around slow-moving shots and supernatural entities in order to make everyone feel like a person you’d see in real life. This works in Candle Cove’s favor, as despite the unbelievability of what transpires, the people experiencing everything still feel real. But at first, it was the protagonist, Mike Painter, who felt a little out-of-place alongside the rest of the cast. Paul Schneider’s character felt like a distant, almost apathetic person despite the central role he plays in the plot. It wasn’t until later revelations, though, that it became clear why he acted this way. Because of his past actions touched on in the first half of the series, it’s clarified that his distance isn’t intentional, but rather a side effect of his experiences. This made for a bit of an off-putting premiere, but as episodes 2 and 3 played out, everything was clarified, making more sense as to why he acts the way he does.

But it’s that buildup that reveals another strength of Candle Cove. While a slow burn of a show, the creators also knew that not everything could be a slog all the time for the sake of getting six episodes of content out. Which is why, come episode 4, everything begins to come to a head in such a way that I was shocked by how well it was done. This is because, despite things happening in the first half of the series, most of that time is spent on character interactions and side-missions, occasional distractions from the real meat of the story. But the decision to develop those side-plots also assisted in making me care about the characters and everything else going on in Iron Hill. Which is why the back half of the series was an impactful, horrifying experience done in a creative, methodical manner. There are scenes from this show that are just as memorable as any classic horror movie, and the effort put into trying to make it an engaging time is what made the first half of the series worth sitting through.

There is, however, a major flaw to the show itself outside of it having a wildly different take on Candle Cove than the source material: The presentation is very experimental and may not be for everyone. There are multiple slow panning shots that emphasize the horror but are often absent from your typical horror movie. Character interactions sometimes feel strange, often because major plot revelations will transpire without any indication of just how major they are. The audience, to some degree, has to become a participator in the story, parsing out what is and isn’t important in order to get the whole scope of the story. Personally, I liked this. The show is easy to follow regardless of how much you’re willing to pay attention to character’s expressions and their dialogue. But that added layer of detective work is what made me like the show. Thing is, not everyone wants to do something like that, especially when the dish isn’t being cooked in an easy-to-digest way.

I would hesitantly recommend Channel Zero: Candle Cove to anyone who wants a unique supernatural horror show to watch. It’s not perfect, nor is it as good as its source material. However, if you’re searching for an interesting paranormal thriller to watch for the Halloween season, this show can offer a unique, different experience from anything else you’ve seen. Trust me when I say that; the presentation is very unique, but it feels like it works for the most part when watching the series. And, much like the series in the short story, this one is sure to leave a lasting impression.